'They're not going to let this opportunity slip away.'
Noah thought as he looked at the trio standing before him.
He knew these three. In a way, they had once been like his underlings... at least during family gatherings.
Edward belonged to the Count Beaufort family, while the other two came from viscount families. Whenever their families gathered, they would always behave like his subordinates, while Noah acted like their superior, carrying himself with an arrogant attitude.
'Damn, I really did treat them rather poorly in the past.'
Although he rarely met them outside family gatherings, whenever they did cross paths, he had always acted like their master.
No wonder they wanted to take revenge on him now that he had become an exiled son.
Besides, this was the academy, where one's family background rarely mattered in everyday interactions.
Of course, being born into a ducal family still carried considerable influence, and he could have used that authority if he wanted to.
But, well... He had been exiled.
"So, what exactly happened back there? You actually bowed to your ex-fiancée and even got insulted by her in front of so many people! Well, you kind of deserved it! Hahahaha!"
"Haha!" Glasses-kun immediately joined in.
"I can't help but laugh whenever I remember that scene. The arrogant Noah, bowing his head and getting humiliated! Hahaha!" The chubby boy laughed, openly mocking him.
'Oh? Is this... my face-slapping moment?'
Noah remained silent, or at least he tried to.
A vein had already begun bulging on his forehead.
First, he had been insulted by Ophelia. He hadn't minded it too much since he knew he had done something wrong. Even though he wasn't the original Noah, he was still living in that body and had inherited the consequences of his predecessor's actions.
But now, these three were openly making fun of him.
How was he supposed to put up with that?
"Haha! What? Are you angry?" Edward leaned forward, wearing a mocking expression.
"He must be holding back his tears!" Glasses-kun added.
"Maybe he wants to run to his mommy and complain."
"Wait, didn't his mommy kick him out of the family?"
For a brief moment, the trio went silent.
Then they burst into even louder laughter.
They weren't making any effort to keep their voices down, and several students still lingering nearby could clearly hear their conversation.
'Hah... I guess that's enough.'
Noah didn't respond.
At this moment, he needed to exercise some self-control.
He took out his phone and opened the academy's official application. From there, he accessed the academy's website and began browsing through its rules and regulations, looking for possible disciplinary measures he could use against these third-rate bullies.
"Hm? What are you doing? Calling someone?" Edward stopped laughing when he noticed Noah fiddling with his phone.
He leaned closer, trying to see what Noah was looking at, before glancing back at his face.
"Give up. No one's going to help a pathetic guy like you. A loser should learn his place and keep his mouth shut."
Noah's fingers tightened around his phone as he continued scrolling through the guidelines.
"Hahahaha! Oh, look! He must be scared of us!" Tetsu mocked him further.
"Hope he doesn't piss his pants right here," Richard added, showing no intention of backing down.
Just then, Noah's eyes landed on a particular section of the academy regulations.
'Oh... This is good.'
He paused for a moment.
'Well, actually, it's bad. But honestly, I'm perfectly willing to accept the punishment if it means I get to beat these three right now. So, everything works out.'
Noah put his phone away and looked up at the trio.
A kind, gentle smile appeared on his face.
The sudden change in his expression left the three boys confused.
"Did you hit your head or something? Why are you smiling?" Tetsu asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Should we knock some sense into him?" Richard suggested, striking his fist against his open palm.
Edward glanced sideways at his companions.
"Not a bad idea. But beating up a loser like him feels a little beneath us."
An unpleasant grin spread across his face.
He turned back towards Noah.
But what greeted him wasn't a reply.
It was a fist.
A real fist, flying straight towards his face.
BAM!
Before Edward could even react, Noah's punch connected with his cheek.
He had initially considered aiming for his nose but decided against it. That might have been a little too much.
So he settled for the cheek.
Even so, the force behind the punch was considerable.
Edward was sent tumbling backwards, losing his balance before landing hard on his rear.
"Arrghh!"
A painful groan escaped his mouth.
Thud!
"What the hell?!"
"Hey!"
Richard and Tetsu stared in disbelief, their voices rising in shock.
However, Noah didn't give them any time to react.
He immediately stepped forward, positioning his right foot in front of Richard before launching his left fist forward with explosive speed.
Richard's eyes widened.
"Wai—?!"
He couldn't even finish his sentence.
BOOM!
Noah's punch slammed directly into his round belly.
"Gahh!"
Richard doubled over instantly, clutching his stomach as the impact forced the air out of his lungs.
Tetsu stared at the scene in disbelief.
"You—!"
But Noah had already moved again.
The surrounding students gasped and hurriedly retreated, creating a wide space around the fighters.
Nobody wanted to get caught in the middle of the confrontation.
Edward groaned as he pushed himself up from the ground. His expression twisted with anger, and his eyes burned with humiliation.
"You bastard!"
Richard also managed to recover slightly, struggling to catch his breath.
Meanwhile, Tetsu's expression finally turned serious.
The three quickly spread out, surrounding Noah from different directions.
Edward wiped the corner of his mouth and glared at him.
"You think you can attack us and just walk away?"
Richard straightened his back and cracked his knuckles.
"We'll beat the crap out of you!"
Without waiting for another word, all three rushed towards Noah.
Edward was the first to attack, throwing a punch straight at his face.
Noah tilted his head slightly, allowing the fist to pass harmlessly beside him.
At the same time, Richard attempted to grab him from the side.
Noah shifted his shoulder and shoved him away before he could get a proper hold.
Tetsu seized the opportunity and lunged forward with a quick strike.
Noah immediately ducked, narrowly avoiding the incoming punch.
However, before he could counterattack, another fist came flying towards him from the opposite direction.
It was Richard.
Noah quickly raised his arm, using his hand to shield his face.
But Edward had already closed the distance.
BAM!
His fist connected with Noah's cheek.
"Take this, bastard!"
Noah's head snapped backwards.
He could taste blood in his mouth.
But that wasn't enough to stop him.
He immediately regained his balance and counterattacked.
His right foot shot forward, delivering a sharp kick to Richard's knee.
"Arggh!"
Richard's leg buckled under the impact.
However, before Noah could follow up, Tetsu's fist slammed into his lower ribs.
"Fuck!"
The fight quickly descended into chaos.
Fists collided, bodies crashed against one another, and hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.
The trio began reinforcing their bodies with mana.
A faint glow appeared around them as they channelled mana through their muscles, enhancing their physical strength and striking power.
Edward clenched his fist and charged forward once again.
His punch came flying straight towards Noah.
Noah quickly raised both hands.
A surge of cold mana flowed through his arms.
Crack!
In an instant, ice began forming around his fists.
Layer upon layer of solid ice enveloped his knuckles, forming a pair of icy gauntlets.
The transparent ice hardened, covering both his fists like protective armour.
Noah clenched his hands, feeling the cold mana circulating through the gauntlets.
The icy surface gleamed faintly under the corridor lights.
"Come on!" Noah declared with a wide grin.
Unlike his opponents, he was actually enjoying himself.
The fight continued in the middle of the corridor as the surrounding students hurriedly backed away, watching the unexpected confrontation unfold.